System and method for securing accessories to clothing

ABSTRACT

A device for attachment to the strap of a shoe to provide personalization and ornamental features to the shoe. The device includes a band or cover that includes the ornamental features or to which an ornamental device can be attached. The band or cover is attached to the strap of the shoe in a variety of manners including expandable loops attached to each end of the strap, being constructed in a tubular manner and slid over the strap, or being attached to the strap with loops and being expandable to create tension.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional application being filed under 35 U.S.C. 111and claiming the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application for Patentfiled on Oct. 30, 2007 and assigned Ser. No. 60/983,920—whichapplication is hereby incorporated by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjections to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdisclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patentfiles or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rightswhatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to systems and methods for securingaccessories to clothes. In particular, the present invention relates toa system for securing an accessory band, a system for securing anaccessory strap item to shoes, and a system for an accessory shoe strapcover.

Clothing manufacturers are manufacturing shoes that are made of an openbacked molded body with a separate molded pivoting strap that is securedto the main body of the shoe with a plastic shaft. One example of amanufacturer of this shoe type is CROCS, located in Boulder, Colo.Examples of this type of shoe are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Accessorizing these molded shoes has presented a significant challengebecause of the difficulty in developing an expandable, secure, durable,child safe, and weatherproof system that is compatible with the shoesmany sizes and age groups, as well as their intended active outdoor use.

It is thus apparent that there is a need for an improved system andmethod for securing accessories to shoes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments of the various features, aspects andembodiments of the present invention that are shown in the drawings aresummarized below. It is to be understood that there is no intention tolimit the invention to one particular system or shoe type and that theembodiments presented herein are presented as non-limiting examples. Oneskilled in the art can recognize that there are numerous modifications,equivalents, and alternative constructions that fall within the spiritand scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

The present invention can provide a system and method for securingaccessories to clothing. One embodiment includes a first system forattaching an accessory band to a shoe. The system includes an accessoryband terminated on each end with a closure strip that secures theaccessory band to tensioned expandable accessory band connectors. Theaccessory band connectors on each side are secured to the shoe byplacing both in tension against the pivoting connection point betweenthe shoe body and shoe strap where these are connected with a plasticshaft. As a result, the accessory band is secured against and on top ofthe shoe's strap.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes a second system forattaching an accessory band to a shoe. The system includes an accessoryband with an interchangeable face terminated on each end with a closurestrip that secures the accessory band to tensioned expandable accessoryband connectors. The accessory band connectors on each side are securedto the shoe by placing both in tension against the pivoting connectionpoint between the shoe body and shoe strap where these are connectedwith a plastic shaft. As a result, the accessory band is secured againstand on top of the shoe's strap.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes a third system forattaching an accessory band to a shoe. The system includes an accessoryband that is directly secured to the accessory band and to the tensionedexpandable accessory band connector. The accessory band connector oneach side is secured to the shoe by placing both in tension against andbetween the shoes pivoting connection points where the shoe body andshoe strap are connected with a plastic shaft. As a result, theaccessory band is secured against and on top of the shoe's strap.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a fourth systemfor attaching an accessory band to a shoe. The system comprises of anadjustable VELCRO backed accessory band which, when folded back uponitself on both accessory band ends creates a VELCRO bond of the backflap to the front face, thusly wrapping and securing the band connectorswhich are held in tension against and between the shoes' pivotingconnection at the point where the shoe body and shoe strap are connectedwith a plastic shaft. As a result, the accessory band is secured againstand on top of the shoe's strap.

The various embodiments, features and/or aspects of the presentinvention can provide a system and method for securing accessories toclothing. One embodiment of the present invention is a system forsecuring an accessory item to a shoe. The system includes an accessoryitem, secured to a tensioned expandable accessory item connector. Theaccessory item connector is secured on each side of the shoe by placingboth in tension against and between the shoes pivoting connection at thepoint where the shoe body and shoe strap are connected with a plasticshaft. As a result, the accessory item is secured against and on top ofthe shoe's strap.

The various embodiments, features and/or aspects of the presentinvention can provide another system and method for securing accessoriesto clothing. Another embodiment of the present invention is a system forsecuring an accessory item to a shoe. The system includes a shoe straptubular cover, covering the shoe strap by removing one side of the strapat the point where the shoe body and shoe strap are secured with apivoting connector. Further, the shoe strap is fed inside of the tubularshoe strap cover and the shoe strap is reattached to the shoe body withthe shoe connector. As a result, the shoe strap is covered by anaccessory shoe strap cover. These and other embodiments are described inmore detail herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Various objects and advantages and a more complete understanding of thepresent invention are apparent and more readily appreciated by referenceto the following Detailed Description and to the appended claims whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a molded shoe body with a molded strap and pivotingconnector.

FIG. 2 illustrated the pivot connection between the molded shoe body andthe molded shoe strap.

FIG. 3 illustrates a system for attaching an accessory shoe band to ashoe, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the FIG. 3 detailed connection system of theaccessory shoe band to a shoe, in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A illustrates another FIG. 3 detailed connection system of theaccessory shoe band to a shoe, in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B illustrates a system for attaching an accessory shoe band withan interchangeable face to a shoe, in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a system for attaching an accessory shoe strap itemto a shoe, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 6 illustrates the FIG. 5 detailed connection of the accessory shoestrap item to a shoe, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates another system for attaching an accessory shoe bandto a shoe, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8 illustrates the FIG. 7 detailed connection of the accessory shoeband to a shoe, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8A illustrates another FIG. 7 detailed connection of the accessoryshoe band to the shoe, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a system for attaching an accessory shoe strap cover,in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9A is a detailed illustration the FIG. 9 system for attaching anaccessory shoe strap cover, in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as well as features and aspects thereof, isdirected towards providing an accessory for shoes. In general, anembodiment of the present invention includes a strap, attachment,accessory, strap cover or strap ornament that can be attached to orsupplant an existing strap of an item of clothing, such as a shoe. Morespecifically, various embodiments of the present invention are directedtowards accessorizing plastic molded shoes such as those manufacturedand sold under the name of CROCS and other similar types of shoes.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like labels and references referto like parts through the various figures, various aspects, features andembodiments of the present invention will be described to provide anunderstanding of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a shoe type with a molded shoe body 100,molded shoe strap 200, and plastic or other type of connectors 300L and300R, which secure the shoe strap 200 to the shoe body 100. Throughoutthis description and the drawings, the numeric references or labels XXXmay include a designator such as “L” or “R”, or “A” or “B” todistinguish like elements that appear in two or more locations on adrawing. However, the items may be referred to simply by the numericrepresentation XXX, in which case the description is to apply to each ofthe items appearing in the drawing. In the description, theabove-identified designations will only be used if a particulardistinguishing feature of one particular item is being high-lighted.FIG. 2 illustrates the location of connector 300L which includes anexterior stop or button 310L, an interior stop 320L and a connectorshaft 350L that is adjoined to an underside surface of the exterior stop310L and an upper surface of the interior stop 320L. When the connectorshaft 350L extends through a void in the shoe strap 200 to the shoe body100 as illustrated, the connector 300L operates to secure an end of thestrap 200 to the shoe 100. It will be understood that the molded shoepresented in FIGS. 1 and 2 are presented for the purpose of providing anenvironment in which various embodiments, features and aspects of thepresent invention can be deployed and as such, the environment is a toolto help understand the various embodiments, features and aspects of thepresent invention. It will be appreciated that the environment can bemodified without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Thus, in FIGS. 3 to 9A, and as described herein, the moldedshoe body 100, molded strap 200, the plastic connectors 300 andconnector shaft 350, are shown for illustrative purposes only. In otherembodiments, the shoe may be of a type other than a molded shoe.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 illustrate a system including elements 500 and 600 forattaching an accessory band 400 to clothing in accordance with anillustrative embodiment of the invention. In the illustrative embodimentof FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the expandable system 600 is secured in tension onboth sides between the molded shoe body 100 and the molded shoe strap200 at the point where these connect at the shoes' connector 300. System600 is coupled, connected or looped through system 500 which in turn iscoupled to the accessory band 400 and these together are held in tensionagainst and on top of the molded shoe strap 200. A portion of theexpandable system 600 (namely 600La and 600Ra) is shown as a dotted lineto illustrate the flexible connector location between the molded strap200 and the molded shoe body 100. Thus, in the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3, an accessory is illustrated that includes a cover 400 thatcovers all or a portion of the shoe strap 200 and provides a surfacefacing out from the shoe strap 200 which can be decorated, receiveornaments or includes a design. The cover or band 400 is shown as havinga bracket, clasp or loop 500 which is mounted on both sides of the coveror band 400 leaving a slight gap defined by the interior of the bracket,clasp or loop 500 and one end of the band 400. The bracket, clasp orloop 500 can take on a variety of forms in various embodiments. Forinstance, the bracket clasp or loop 500 may be a metallic plate or stripthat is folded over and then secured to the band 400 by a variety ofmeans including snaps, pins, staples, or flanges depending from theinside surface of the clasp and penetrating into the band 400,stitching, etc. In addition, the clasp of loop may be a flexiblematerial such as cloth, plastic, rubber, silicon, etc, that can befolded over and attached to the band similarly as described above. Theexpandable system 600, which can take on a variety of forms such as arubber band, elastic loop, cloth-covered elastic loop, spring, hybrid ofany of these materials or others with a non-elastic piece, etc., isshown as a creating a loop. The expandable system or loop 600 is fedthrough the gap formed by clasp or loop 500 and the band 400. The loop600 can then be slid between the shoe strap 200 and the shoe 100 whereit rests against connector 300 or the pin 350. By including thisstructure on both sides of the accessory, the accessory can be held inplace over the shoe strap 200 by tension applied at least by the loops600R and 600L.

FIG. 4B illustrates a system including elements 500 and 600 forattaching accessory band with interchangeable face 425 to clothing inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In theillustrative embodiment of FIG. 4B, the expandable system 600 is securedin tension on both sides between the molded shoe body 100 and the moldedshoe strap 200 at the point where these connect at the shoes' connector300. System 600 is coupled, connected or looped through system 500 whichis coupled to accessory band 400. Accessory band 400 receives theinterchangeable face 425. These together are held in tension against andon top of the molded shoe strap 200. The expandable system 600 is shownas a dotted line at 600La to illustrate the flexible connector locationbetween the molded strap 200 and the molded shoe body 100. Theinterchangeable face 425 can be held in place to an underlying strap bya variety of means, including hooks and loops, snaps, stitches, magnets,buttons, tie strings, etc. In addition the system 500 may include aclamp that can be opened and closed over the interchangeable face 425,similar to a clamp used for suspenders, and as such, the interchangeablefaces can be secured to the system 500. Similarly, the interchangeablefaces may otherwise fasten to the system 500 by means such as, but notlimited to, hooks and loops, snaps, buttons, tie strings, magnets, etc.

FIG. 4A illustrates a system including element 600 for attachingaccessory band 450 to clothing in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the invention. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4A,the expandable system 600 is secured in tension on both sides betweenthe molded shoe body 100 and the molded shoe strap 200 at the pointwhere these connect by way of the shoes' connector 300. The accessoryband 450 is illustrated as including or defining a bore 452L thatextends through the accessory band 450 near the end of the accessoryband. The bore 452L is shown as extending laterally through the band450, substantially parallel to and near the end 454L of the band 450.This is similarly structured on the other end of accessory band 450.System 600 is connected directly to the accessory band 450 by extendingthrough the bore 452L over portion 600Lb and these together are held intension against and on top of the molded shoe strap 200. The expandablesystem 600 is shown as a dotted line at 600La to illustrate the flexibleaccessory connector location between the molded shoe strap 200 and themolded shoe body 100.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 illustrate a system including elements 850 and 900 forattaching a VELCRO or other similar hooks and loops backed or otherwiseconnectable adjustable accessory shoe band 850 whereby this band is fedthru the accessory connector system 900 and is folded back onto itselfand attached or secured to the back or underside. For instance, a VELCRObond can thus secure the shoe band 850 to accessory connector system 900which is held in tension on both sides between the molded shoe body 100and the molded shoe strap 200 at the point where these connect by way ofthe shoes' connector shaft 300. Other similar mechanism can also be usedsuch as snaps, buttons, cuff-link type connectors, JIBBITZ type devices,straps, buckles, hook with holes, stitching, staples, rivets, etc.System 850 and 900 are together are held in tension against and on topof the molded shoe strap 200. A portion of connector system 900 is shownas a dotted line 900 a to illustrate the connector location between themolded shoe strap 200 and the molded shoe body 100.

FIG. 8A illustrate a system 860 and 950 for attaching a VELCRO orsimilar material backed or otherwise connectable expandable accessoryshoe band 860. In such an embodiment, the expandable accessory shoe band860 can be made from elastic or a similarly expandable materialincluding rubber, silicon, or a hybrid of fiber and expandable material.The expandable accessory band 860 is fed thru the accessory connectorsystem 950 and is folded back onto itself and attached or secured to theback or underside. As such, the expandable band 860 is secured to theaccessory connector system 950. Accessory connector system 950 is heldand secured in tension on both sides against and between the shoes'connector button 300 and connector shaft 350. System 860 and 950together are held in tension against and on top of the molded shoe strap200. A portion of connector system 950 is shown as a dotted line toillustrate the connector location between the molded shoe strap 200 andthe shoe connector face 300 and/or shoe connector shaft 350.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate a system including elements 650 and 700 forattaching accessory shoe strap item 800 to clothing in accordance withan illustrative embodiment of the invention. In the illustrativeembodiment of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the accessory expandable connectorsystem 650 is secured on two sides in tension between and against themolded shoe body 100 and the molded shoe strap 200 at the point wherethese items are connected with the shoes' connector 300. Expandablesystem 650 with a system 700 control device is connected to accessoryitem 800, whereby these together are secured in tension against and ontop of the molded shoe strap 200. More specifically, element 700operates as a sleeve that holds the elastic bands 650 together toprevent them from separating. If they separate, the elastic bands 650may end to slide or fall to either side of the strap and become loose. Aportion 650 a and 650 b of the expandable system 650 is shown as adotted line to illustrate the expandable system beneath or embeddedwithin the strap item 800 and the location between the molded shoe strap200 and the molded shoe body 100 respectively.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 9A illustrate a system including cover 1000 forattaching as an accessory item over a shoe strap or other clothing inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In theillustrative embodiment of FIG. 9 and FIG. 9A, the shoe strap tubularcover 1000, covers the shoe strap 200. The shoe strap tubular cover 1000is placed over the shoe strap 200 by removing or disconnecting one sideof the strap 200, at the point where the shoe body 100 and shoe strap200 are secured with a pivoting connector 300. Once one side of the shoestrap 200 is disconnected, it can be fed inside of the tubular shoestrap cover 1000 and the shoe strap 200 can be reattached to the shoebody 100 with the shoe connector 300. Thus, the shoe strap 200 iscovered by an accessory shoe strap cover 1000. In the figures, the shoestrap 200 is shown with dotted lines 200 a over the portion in which itis inside the tubular cover 1000. Similarly, rather than a tubular shoestrap cover, another embodiment of the present invention may include aflat piece of material that can be wrapped around the strap 200 andsecured in place by a variety of means, including but not limited to,hooks and loops, snaps, friction, stitches, ties, rubber bands, pins,etc. In addition, the tubular cover does not have to run the fulllength. For instance, the cover may include tubular loops at either endof the cover and may include one or more additional loops along thelength of the cover.

In conclusion, the present invention provides, among other things, asystem and method for securing accessories to shoes. Those skilled inthe art can readily recognize that numerous variations and substitutionsmay be made to the invention, its use and its configuration to achievesubstantially the same results as achieved by the embodiments describedherein. Accordingly, there is no intention to limit the invention to thedisclosed exemplary forms. Many variations, modifications andalternative constructions fall within the scope and spirit of thedisclosed invention as expressed in the claims.

In the description and claims of the present application, each of theverbs, “comprise”, “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, areused to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are notnecessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements, orparts of the subject or subjects of the verb.

The present invention has been described using detailed descriptions ofembodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention. The described embodimentscomprise different features, not all of which are required in allembodiments of the invention. Some embodiments of the present inventionutilize only some of the features or possible combinations of thefeatures. Variations of embodiments of the present invention that aredescribed and embodiments of the present invention comprising differentcombinations of features noted in the described embodiments will occurto persons of the art.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited by what has been particularly shown anddescribed herein above. Rather the scope of the invention is defined bythe claims that follow.

1. An accessory that is attachable to a shoe strap, wherein the shoestrap is pivotally coupled to opposing sides of a shoe with connectors,the accessory comprising: a cover including an ornamental surface thatcan cover at least a portion of the shoe strap; and a means for securingthe cover to the shoe strap.
 2. The accessory of claim 1, wherein thecover includes: a band; a first clasp attached to a first end of theband and a second clasp attached to a second end of the band, the firstclasp and the first end of the band defining a first gap and the secondclasp and second end of the band defining a second gap; a firstexpandable loop extending through the first gap and a second expandableloop extending through the second gap.
 3. The accessory of claim 2,wherein the accessory can be attached to the shoe by placing the firstexpandable loop under a first side of the shoe strap so that it restsagainst the connector on the first side of the shoe and between the shoestrap and the shoe, and by placing the second expandable loop under asecond side of the shoe strap so that it rests against the connector onthe second side of the shoe and between the shoe strap and the shoe. 4.The accessory of claim 2, wherein the band further comprises: a firstportion that is attached to the first clasp and the second clasp, and anornamental portion that is attachable over the first portion.
 5. Theaccessory of claim 4, wherein the ornamental portion includes a frontside and a back side and the band includes an exterior surface, andwherein the exterior surface of the band and the back side of theornamental portion are attachable using a hook and loop structure. 6.The accessory of claim 1, wherein the cover includes: a band with afirst bore extending laterally through a first end of the bandsubstantially parallel to and near the first end and a second boreextending laterally through a second end of the band substantiallyparallel to and near the second end; a first expandable loop extendingthrough the first bore and a second expandable loop extending throughthe second bore.
 7. The accessory of claim 6, wherein the band furthercomprises: a first portion that receives the first expandable loop andthe second expandable loop, and an ornamental portion that is attachableover the first portion.
 8. The accessory of claim 4, wherein theornamental portion includes a front side and a back side and the bandincludes an exterior surface, and wherein the exterior surface of theband and the back side of the ornamental portion are attachable using ahooks and loops structure.
 9. The accessory of claim 1, wherein thecover includes: a band; and a first expandable loop and a secondexpandable loop; and wherein a first end of the band is extended throughthe first expandable loop and folded back underneath the band and thesecond end of the band is extended through the second expandable loopand folded back underneath the band.
 10. The accessory of claim 9,wherein the first end and the second end are secured underneath the bandby a hooks and loops structure.
 11. The accessory of claim 10, whereinthe band further comprises: a first portion that is attached to thefirst expandable loop and the second expandable loop, and an ornamentalportion that is removeably attachable over the first portion to allowfor interchangeable ornaments.
 12. The accessory of claim 1, wherein thecover includes: an expandable band; and a first loop and a second loop;and wherein a first end of the expandable band is extended through thefirst loop and folded back underneath the expandable band and the secondend of the expandable band is extended through the second loop andfolded back underneath the band.
 13. The accessory of claim 12, whereinthe accessory can be attached to the shoe by placing the first loopunder the button of the connector on a first side of the shoe strap sothat it rests against the connector on the first side of the shoe andbetween the connector button and the shoe strap, and by placing thesecond loop under the button of the connector on a second side of theshoe strap so that it rests against the connector on the second side ofthe shoe and between the connector button and the shoe strap.
 14. Theaccessory of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises a tubularshape and the means for securing the cover to the shoe strap furthercomprises disconnecting one end of the shoe strap from the shoe, slidingthe cover over the shoe strap and securing the shoe strap back to theshoe.
 15. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprisesa loop on each end and the means for securing the cover to the shoestrap further comprises disconnecting one end of the shoe strap from theshoe, shoe strap through the loops on each end of the cover and securingthe shoe strap back to the shoe.
 16. The accessory of claim 1, whereinthe cover further comprises a flat material that can be folded into atubular shape and secured together and the means for securing the coverto the shoe strap further comprises folding the flat material into atubular shape around the shoe strap and securing the flat materialtogether.
 17. The accessory of claim 16, wherein the flat material issecured together using a hooks and loops structure.
 18. A device that isattachable to a shoe strap, wherein the shoe strap is pivotally coupledto opposing sides of a shoe with connectors, the device comprising: acover including an ornamental surface that can cover at least a portionof the shoe strap; a first expandable loop and a second expandable loopcoupled respectively to a first end and a second end of the cover,wherein the first expandable loop and the second expandable look can beattached to the shoe by placing the first expandable loop under a firstside of the shoe strap so that it rests against the connector on thefirst side of the shoe and between the shoe strap and the shoe, and byplacing the second expandable loop under a second side of the shoe strapso that it rests against the connector on the second side of the shoeand between the shoe strap and the shoe.
 19. The device of claim 18,wherein the first expandable loop and the second expandable loop arecoupled to the cover by being directly attached to the cover.
 20. Adecorative device that is attachable to a shoe strap, wherein the shoestrap is pivotally coupled to opposing sides of a shoe with connectors,the device comprising: a cover including an ornamental surface that cancover at least a portion of the shoe strap; a first expandable loop anda second expandable loop coupled respectively to a first end and asecond end of the cover by extending a portion of the cover through theloop can securing it back to the cover, wherein the first expandableloop and the second expandable look can be attached to the shoe byplacing the first expandable loop under a first side of the shoe strapso that it rests against the connector on the first side of the shoe andbetween the shoe strap and the shoe, and by placing the secondexpandable loop under a second side of the shoe strap so that it restsagainst the connector on the second side of the shoe and between theshoe strap and the shoe and creates tension to hold the cover againstthe shoe strap.